The New Girl
by somuchloveinherheart
Summary: Clare to move to a new school district, Lake Hurst high school. Watch as she falls for the mentally disturbed Elijah Goldsworthy, who tries his hardest to not fall for her. Full summary inside.
1. Chapter 1: First Day at Lake Hurst

_**The New Girl: Chapter One**_

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><p><em>Full Summary: <em>

Clare Edwards parents got divorced because her father cheated one too many times on her mother. Her mom has custody over Clare during the weekdays and has moved out, causing Clare to move to a new school district, Lake Hurst high school. Watch as she goes through missing everything Degrassi to falling for the mentally disturbed Elijah Goldsworthy, who wants nothing to do with anything Lake Hurst and tries his hardest to not fall for her either.

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><p>She invaded my mind day and night, and then all over again. <em>Why'd you leave if you just keep coming back? <em>He wanted to beg her, just to either stay or go. Every time he felt he needed her, she never bothered to show her face, but when he was having the time of his life, his mind finally was free of all thoughts of her, she just blinked those pretty little hazel eyes in his mind and he completely spaced out. _Why'd you leave if you just keep coming back? _That thought haunted him everyday since April 22, 2009.

Eli sighed, rubbing the sleep out of his eyes. Today was Monday so that meant school. He lazily pulled the blankets off of him and immediately missed the warmth as the morning air chilled his skin. He momentarily thought about not going to school at all but it's been over a year since Julia died and Cece or Bullfrog wouldn't let him stay home.

Sighing, Eli threw his legs over the side of the bed and sat there for a moment, waking up completely, he stretched his legs and arms out before cracking his knuckles all at once, and then his neck. A pleasurable sigh escaped his lips as he got up to get ready for his day.

Turning on the shower, he quickly put his towel on the rack and disrobed off all his clothes, to be able to get into the warm shower, numbing his ice cold toes from the cold untouched bathroom floor tiles.

As he finished getting dressed and ran downstairs to be greeted by his parents, Cece and Bullfrog.

"We're looking into transferring you to Degrassi, Elijah, you just have to get through these two weeks at Lake Hurst and then you can look back at these dark days and finally move forward alright, baby boy?" Cece said, as soon as she saw the anxious look on her one and only child's face. Ever since Julia died, he's never been the boy he was. Sure she was used to his erotic behavior, and his style, but he got that from them. His personality has always been that of a happier boy then the one she's lived with the past year and a half. If changing school was what would help him get out of this heartbroken stage then she'd do it.

Eli nodded his head in agreement, not up for conversation. He reached out to grab an apple off the table and walked outside to Morty. The one and only thing that ever remained constant in his life. He hopped inside and started the engine heading to hell on earth, Lake Hurst high school.

He hated the stares of the strangers in wonder, the pitiful looks and nods of recognition when he walked down the halls by his old friends he doesn't bother to hang out with, and the ones where they'd look at him and burst out crying by all of Julia's friends. He couldn't take it. There was no one at his school that understood what he was going through and if they did, then all of them are just preaching to the quire.

He turned into the parking lot and parked in the handicapped parking space. No one at his school needed it so he just parked there. No one asked questions from the emo kid who's emo girlfriend died. They probably thought he was a fragile little thing, that broke by the slightest touch or bad mouthed word. Boy where they wrong.

He quickly got out of Morty and walked into the school in a quick pace, avoiding people at all costs. He turned the corner and looked up in time to see a girl struggling to get his locker open. Why was she trying to get into his locker?

He quickened his pace and stood right behind her, waiting to see if she was going to recognize him and scram just like the rest of _them _did.

Clare was already hating this new school. She hated her parents for moving houses so she had to attend this horrid place. She missed Degrassi, she missed her friends and her teachers. Most importantly she missed not being everyone's stranger.

No random people sending her small smiles because they shared a class together and simply acknowledging her presence. No more teachers saying hello to her in the halls, and congratulating her on her high grade in said class. No more Alli, her best friend who just got back from an all girls school. No more Sav, Alli's brother also known as the best class president she's ever witnessed in her two years of Degrassi. Sure, Holly J was a fine person but she didn't have as much fun as Sav did.

She'd miss everyone, even the people she could live life easier without like K.C., who used her and abused her, figuratively speaking of course, he never hit her, he wasn't that bad of a guy, and Jenna who used her to get to said boyfriend.

She'd miss Fitz, the school bully, who she got pleasure in seeing him get in trouble. She'd miss Principal Simpson who's been part of this school since he was 15, and stuck to it ever since.

She'd miss the crazy made up rumors that seemed to bring life to Degrassi halls constantly. She'd even guiltily miss the sports teams because occasionally they'd take her mind off of her home life, but all of that was gone, and here she is, trying to open her new locker at her new school and having no luck what so ever.

She heard a throat being cleared behind her and she jumped, turned and looked at the boy with his eyebrow raised.

"How can I help you?" She asked, not sure what he wanted.

"What do you mean 'how can I help you?' what are you doing to my locker?" He asked in a harsh tone. Eli saw her face crunch in confusion as he waited for the blush and the scurrying off.

Realization dawned on Clare's face as she looked at the paper in her hand and the locker number on the locker she was angrily trying to tug open.

"I'm so sorry, god I feel so stupid. two twenty _three_, not two twenty four, ugh I'm sorry for attempting and failing to break into your locker." _Stupid small print! _She silently cursed in her head. As if today couldn't get any more messed up for her.

Eli looked at her strangely. Where was the scurrying? Scurry! But none came as she slipped herself over one locker and successfully opened it.

Clare sighed a breath of relief that the locker opened.

"Once again, sorry, and thanks for telling me I'd probably would've sat there all day trying to open it." She rolled her eyes at her own stupid mistake but realized the boy was still giving her a hard look. She looked at him with an eyebrow raised.

"Well if you're that mad about the locker then jeez, you need to chill out. It was just an accident." She slammed her locker shut, not taking her eyes off of him before sighed, shaking her head and walking away mumbling something along the lines of '_it's _just _a locker._'

He snapped out of his daze as she slammed her locker door and glared at him walking away. He scoffed but couldn't help but chuckle.

She didn't treat him like some fragile doll and he found it refreshing, but just like every okay moment in his life, she ruined it as he opened his locker door and green clashed with hazel. He rubbed his thumb carefully over her face on the wallet sized photo in his locker. _Julia_. The bell rang, snapping him out of his reverie and he grabbed his chemistry book before walking down the hall to his class where he sat alone and ignored the random looks that he'd grown so accustomed to.

Clare walked down the hall trying to find her class and was failing immensely, as she could tell. This school was built _nothing _like Degrassi. You'd think that they'd rebuild it with the same blue print as the last building that burnt down but this was _not _the case.

She turned down a hall and saw the numbers decreasing. 124, 123, 122, 111, 110, 109, 108. Where was 128?

She turned the opposite direction she came from and read the numbers she'd already checked and sure enough 128 wasn't being found. She sighed and groaned. This would happen on her first day of a new school, showing up late. Great first impression.

She shook her head of negative thoughts and ran her fingers through her choppy curls and continued down the next hall, determined to find 128.

She was almost done with this hall, but was certain that it wasn't on this hallway. She saw a girl giving her an odd look and she met her, looking her in the eye. The girl walked over.

"Are you new?" She asked, incredulously.

"... Yea? Why?"

"No it's just, we never have new students, ever! Anyway, do you need help? My name is Xamayta Crenshaw, spelled with a 'X' pronounced with a 'Z'" She stated proudly, as if she repeated this a thousand times over.

"Umm, yea, Xamayta, where is room 128?" As soon as I asked that she burst out laughing. I felt kind of stupid. I quickly looked at the paper making sure and I didn't mix up the numbers yet again, maybe the laser eye surgery was a bust.

"I'm sorry it's just, they forget to tell new people because we never get any that room 128 was built upstairs. It was a big mistake but everyone just grew accustomed to it.

Upstairs? She gave Xamayta an unbelievable look.

"I feel like I've wasted so much time! Of course it's upstairs, ugh! I've got to go it was nice meeting you Xamayta."

"Yea, you too new kid." She realized that she never told her her name but was already running late and she wasn't up to making friends in this school.

She ran up the stairs in a hurry and randomly chose a hallway to look for this 128 and to her complete astonishment she chose the right one because the first door in the hall was numbered 128. She couldn't help but glare momentarily at the door before knocking on it sort of gently.

An older lady with grey hair and glasses opened the door and looked down at Clare as if she had just interrupted something seriously important.

"Um, hi?" Clare said uneasily.

"Who are you?" The woman asked impatiently.

"Clare Edwards." Her face brightened up immediately and she pulled the door open all the way so I could step in.

"Clare, I've read your transcripts and I'm so very excited to have you as an addition to the class." She said addition to the class as if we were her collected china dolls, and I was her new shiny one. Because I was in the gifted program at Degrassi, the regular graded classes here were all going to be easier than they should be. To say that Lake Hurst was seriously lacking in the education programs was an understatement.

"Well then, Clare, you'll sit next to Jordan, Jordan raise your hand." A girl with really blonde hair and dark blue eyes, clichely popping her gum raised her perfectly tan manicured hand.

"I don't know how many times I have to tell you Ms. Sanders, it's Jord_anne_, I'm not a boy," She scoffed before rolling her eyes and went back to admiring her nails. Clare sucked in a breath before making her way over to this Jordanne.

She sat down cautiously and avoided peoples stares.

The teacher explained the chemistry assignment to them step by baby step and Clare held back a growl of frustration. Sure these weren't gifted kids but does it take a gifted kid to do this?

When the teacher was done with explaining what to do agonizingly slow, Jordanne looked in Clare's direction before not so discretely asking her what the teacher said.

Clare groaned. "How bout I just do it?" She offered with a hopeful look in her eye. Jordanne just shrugged and popped her gum like a cow and went back to ignoring the rest of the world.

After easily finished the experiment she answered the questions and passed the paper to Jordanne who struggled to spell any of the words, that were clearly and neatly written down on the paper in front of her, correct.

Eli studied her, he didn't know why he was but he was studying her every move. She was new, which explained a lot of things to him. Why she looked at him angrily and not pitifully, why she didn't avoid his locker at all cost and why she willingly talked freely around him. Now he watched her curiously as she quickly finished the experiment alone, even quicker than he did. And she was _how _old? He asked himself in wonder. He found out as the teacher gushed and gushed over her that she was a year younger, if not more than a lot of the people in the class. A sophomore taking all Junior classes.

"I'm sorry that Jordanne wasn't much of a help. Maybe next class you can sit with Eli, he's our smartest student..." and that's when he started to pay more attention to the conversation. Sit with _Eli_? What was wrong with this teacher?

_"_Sure, fine that sounds nice." The bell rang before she could even find out who this Eli kid was, she shrugged and walked out of the class, in search of her new class. She sighed, this was going to be a long year.

Eli was walking to class, his head high, avoiding everyone like usual. It was like primal instinct to ignore them. He ignored teachers, but he still had the best grades, so they never complained too much about his lack of attention on their classroom.

It was now the third class of the day, study hall, for Eli. He looked in his bag as he walked towards the door to make sure his iPod and book were in there and sure enough they were. Just in time to look up he ran into someone. He sighed. This was just perfect.

He looked down and the girl from the locker this morning, Clare, and from his class, was on the floor picking everything up. He felt bad having been the one to make her drop everything. He got down and started to help her pick it up.

"I'm sorry, I didn't see you there," Clare said, without looking up, still picking up her things.

"It's fine." He said quietly. Her head snapped up. "Of course it's you. The angry locker guy." He couldn't help but chuckle at her nickname.

"It's Eli, actually but angry locker guy works too I guess." She smiled a little bit at that.

"Well, I'll see you later then, Eli. Thanks for the help." She stood up and walked into her class and he stood there for a minute. They were in yet another class together?

Clare walked into the classroom and spotted an empty desk all the way in the back and sighed in contentment. She hated sitting with a lot of people she didn't know.

She sat down and opened up her book that she got from Adam before she left. She smiled a sad smile. It wasn't really a book but more of a comic. She opened it up and read the note that Adam wrote.

_Clare, I'm going to miss annoying you with my comic book obsession that you could care less about, I hope this helps that empty feeling of annoyance that you won't be getting at Lake Hurst _

_~Adam Torres _

She ran her fingers over the words. She missed them all so much. As she was reading the comic book that wasn't as bad as she thought it would be, a guy came over to her.

"So, you're Clare right?" She looked up and gave him a raised eyebrow. He was hispanic and had a deep v neck shirt on. He seemed kind of full of himself.

"Yea, clearly why?"

"I was just wondering if you wanted to come sit with me and my friends." She looked to where he was pointing and there was a guy with long hair sitting there with this dazed look in his eyes as if he was high and this girl not so discretely drinking out of a flask.

"No thanks, I'm fine right here." He sighed and nodded, walking back over towards the kids. She shook her head and looked back at the comic, and was reading one of the stories inside of it. Suddenly she felt another presence in front of her. Without looking up she remarked.

"Look I said I didn't want to sit with you or your friends." She heard that chuckle that was getting familiar and she realized the whole class was staring at her.

She looked up and sighed.

"How can I help you angry locker guy?" He smirked at her, and gestured to her seat.

"It helps if you use your big boy words." She said, sarcastically. He rolled his eyes. "You're in my seat." She looked around and everyone was on the edge of their seats. Even the high kid was looking intensely at them, and the girl's flask was long forgotten. She raised her eyebrow.

"Um, there's plenty of other seats. Take your pick." She looked back to her comic, and closed it, not really finding enjoyment in it anymore. She realized that this Eli wasn't moving yet.

"If you think you're going to scare me out of my seat you've got another thing coming. Get over it," She put her comic book back in the bag and pulled out her iPod and an actual book that can entertain her for the rest of this class. It's kind of hard to do work in study hall on your first day when you've finished it before the classes were even over.

"Fine." He mumbled and plopped down in the spot next to her. He looked over at her in curiosity. Why didn't she just give in like everyone else? She put her ear buds in and he couldn't help but look over her shoulder and look at what she was listening to. He looked as she scrolled through her song list and was surprised he recognized a few of them. She pulled open her book on her bookmark and saw that it was by the same author as his book was by. He read the title and realized that he already finished that book and was on the next book.

He pulled the earbud out of her ear, and whispered. "They don't end up together fangirl, she dies." Clare jumped in surprise and looked over at him to see what he was talking about, and recognized his book she chuckled.

"Thank god. All she was, was a floozy, throwing herself around so willingly, she distracted him so much in his excellent work, if she made it out of this alive I was going to stop reading the books."

"Yea, well, just wait to see who he _does _end up with. You'd love the one he's with so much more." She snapped her eyes up to his.

"Who is it? Is it the foolish nurse? Because if it is that is so cliche, what about the doctor? Oh is it the doctor? That makes sense, she's been watching him like a hawk, but so has Jenny, the assistant. Does he turn out to be that kind of guy? Come one Eli! Tell me!" She whispered harshly into her ear. He smiled a real smile, and looked over at her being all cute.

He looked into her eyes and saw how beautifully blue they were. "You've got pretty eyes." They were so blue. Even more beautiful than...

"He ends up with her sister." Then the bell rang and he jumped up out of his seat and ran to his locker, determined to get there before _her._ The new girl who somehow got him to forget about Julia for a whole day. Who does she think she is anyway? Clare Edwards, well news. Flash. No one cares about the new girl.

He slammed his locker door shut and walked towards the lunch room.

Clare was slightly confused. Where did that come from? You've got pretty eyes. Yet she was smiling. Ugh, her cheeks were portraying her! And her sister? What kind of man does that? She scoffed internally and headed towards the lunch room.

She didn't feel like eating but she got a tray anyway, incase she changed her mind. She sat down at the only available, empty table and pulled out her book. She opened up to her page and started to read it but cursed under her breath.

How can she even read this now knowing that the biggest floozy is going to die, to only be replaced by her floozy of a sister? She scoffed and shoved her book into the bag and put it in the chair next to hers. She pulled out her phone and checked for any messages.

_You have 08 new text messages. _

She smiled and opened the first one from Adam.

_Clare, I can't even function. I got repaired up with this idiot in english. He's a senior and he's taking our english class. How grand? Just come back! _

She figured she'd reply later because he'd be in English right now and didn't want to get him in trouble by texting him back.

She opened the next one that was from Alli.

_Girl, Ms. Oh's class is so boring without you, but I think Dave is checking me out. Is it sad that I actually like him? Ugh help me Clare! _

She sighed, and texted back that liking Dave was okay and that the thing she missed most about Degrassi was Media Immersions.

The next one was a community text. Fiona texted everyone.

_I'd like to formally invite everyone to my condo for a goodbye bash for the one and only Clare Edwards! _

_~Fiona Coyne. _

Clare smiled widely. This must of been Adam's doing. He and Fiona were good friends ever since the break up. She apologized for what she did to him and how she was confused, he accepted being the kind guy he is and so I guess she agreed to this. She knew it wasn't Fiona's idea because they hardly talk, ever. With the exception of her drunk lunch date with her and Adam.

Eli walked into the cafeteria and just his luck new girl Clare was sitting at his table. "Why are you sitting here? Are you stalking me or something?" He asked in an exhausted tone.

"Yea, that was my plan. As soon as I came to this hell on earth, I'd stalk the angry locker guy. That's been my plan all along, I was _purposefully _trying to break into your locker." She deadpanned.

His anger was forgotten as he smirked at her. "I knew it. I'm just that irresistible. You sit alone in hopes of catching my eye huh? I should've just come out and save you the trouble. I'm not interested in new girls." He said, sitting down across from her.

"Well isn't that tough. But it just so happens I'm not interested in overly cocky angry locker guys so I guess it's only fair." She said in mock sorrow.

They sat in silence for a while but it was broken by Clare as she looked over at Eli.

"Thanks to you I've not been able to view Chad the same? This book, ugh I can't read it anymore." She said, after showing him the book dramatically.

"Oh come on you have to read it! Chad and his girl's sister have office sex, what's not to love?"

"You're right, Eli." I said looking him dead in the eye. "I read it for the porn scene purposes, you've got me all figured out. Stalker girl by day, porn reader by night." He let out a small laugh at her. She was a humorous person.

But she wasn't anything like Julia.

Soon enough the bell rang and Clare stood up and threw away her untouched food. She grabbed her bag and threw it over her shoulder, walking off to destination: English Class.

She found it after a few minutes of searching and saw there was only two seats available awkwardly in the back seats of the middle row. She sat down in one in hope the one in front of her would remain empty.

But did her luck do her justice? Nope. In walked Eli, clad in black and he just sunk into his seat as the teacher walked in.

"Hello class we have a divine new student with us today. Clare Edwards would you please introduce yourself?" Clare groaned, not one teacher had made her do this and she was hoping it'd stay like that.

"Fine." She sighed and stood up.

"Um, my name is Clare, I used to go to Degrassi, I got transferred here for stupid reasons and I love to read." She said in one breath and sat down in her seat ignoring the teachers call out for questions. Of course Eli would give her that annoyingly cute smirk as she went to sit down.

"Well then..." The teacher trailed off.

"Anywho, everyone get with their partners and work on their essay- oh dear! Clare you don't have a partner do you? What about Jordan-" Clare cut her off.

"Is there anyone else who might be more... enticed to be my partner?" She asked, trying not to straight out call the girl stupid.

"Well, you can work with Mr. Goldsworthy?" She asked hesitantly.

"Who's he?" She asked blatantly.

"Mr. Goldsworthy, please raise your hand." Eli sighed and raised his hand, as if he wasn't sitting directly in front of her. He heard Clare sigh quietly.

"I guess it's better than her." For some reason Eli smirked.

"Yea that's fine." The teacher looked hesitant to agree and Eli rose his eyebrow, daring her to tell her she had to work with Jordan. In 9th grade Jordan decided that Jordanne fit her better because Jordan was a dude's name.

"Well then Eli turn around and work, work, work!" She said overly enthusiastically.

"So, Mr. Goldsworthy," Clare said in a bored tone. "What's the low down on this assignment?"

"It's pretty simple really, you just write a letter to someone, saying something that you don't think you'd have the guts to say to their face." I nodded that sounded easy enough. By the time I decided what I was going to write about the bell rang. Clare ran out of the class room to her locker so she could d meet her mom in the parking lot in a couple minutes. Time to get out of this hell hole.

As soon as she got to her locker her phone rang. She looked to see it was her mom.

"Mom? Why did you call me? I'm going to see you in a couple minutes." She said, confused.

"W-w-well Clare, _oh god, _Clare I can't make it, something c-came up, I've got to go!" She hung up instantly and Clare glared at her phone. Her mom ditched her to have sex with some random man whore. She called the number back and her mom answered in a little bit more angry voice.

"Clare what is it? I said I was busy?"

"Mom, how do you expect me to get home? You can't just not have sex with some random stranger long enough to pick your daughter up from her first day at a place you and dad forced me to go to?"

"Clare, I'm hurt by your accusations. I can't make it, why don't you call your father or walk?" She offered.

"Mom, there is no way I'm calling dad, not after what he did to us. And walk? Well Gee maybe I would if I knew how to get there? And which home am I supposed to go to anyway? I don't even know where our house is, you said that our stuff would get there today!" She exclaimed into her phone, now in a secluded hallway.

"Clare, just, call a friend or something my god." She hung up on Clare, yet again. Clare sighed and wiped the tear away that was falling out of her eye.

Eli watched her out of the corner of his eye and he heard the whole conversation. He felt bad to say the least. Her home life didn't seem too good.

Clare pulled her phone out and dialed Adam's number. It went to voice mail.

"H-hey Adam, I know school doesn't get out in Degrassi for about an hour but when it does do you think you could persuade Drew to pick me up on your way home? My mom bailed on me... again." She said, trying so hard not to cry. She hung up and walked outside, sat on the corner of the building and closed her eyes to put off her crying. What was she supposed to do?

Eli watched her still. He was conflicted. Should he offer her a ride home? Watch her to make sure she gets home okay? Or go home and forget what he saw?


	2. Chapter 2: The After Hours of Hell

She waited for a while, in hopes that someone would come and get her, if not Adam she'd hope her mom would notice her not being home. She sat down, on the ground. She was freezing. She only had on her skinny jeans and her shirt, not even her sweater that she left at home on purpose because her mom promised her a ride home. But no, she was too busy sleeping with Glen Martin, one of her parents old friends from her childhood. She scoffed the air bit her and bit her as it whipped her hair all around and she struggled to keep it tamed.

She opened her phone. _3:15._ She sighed. School's been out for about 45 minutes, and Degrassi's been out half an hour. She pulled out her iPod and put it on shuffle as The Fray's Over My Head (Cable Car) came on. She softly sang along.

"Everyone knows I'm in over my head, over my head, 8 seconds left in over time, she's on your mind, she's on your mind..." She stopped when she felt someone tap my shoulder. She yanked out an earbud and jumped, turning around.

It was Eli, of course. He was nervous. Was he honestly going to ask this girl if she wanted a ride home? He mentally sighed. Of course he would. He'd ask anyone who wasn't part of everyone else here. Even if she did bring out the crazy in him, but deep down he knew that it wasn't her fault.

"Is there something you want?" She asked in a concerned voice. The look on his face was torn between two and she didn't know what he wanted.

"Oh, I was wondering if you needed a ride home? You look like you're waiting for someone whose not going to show up." She sighed, she knew that. But she wasn't going to admit that. She tried convincing herself that Adam was surely on his way in Mrs. Torres' van and Drew awkwardly sitting in the driver seat not fitting the van at all.

That was all thrown away when she opened her phone as it vibrated and a text came in.

_Sorry Clare, my mom drove today and I asked her she said she couldn't, even though we both know it means she doesn't want to. Sorry, see you soon. _

_~Adam. _

Clare sighed and looked up at Eli's green luscious eyes that were raised in an I-told-you-so look.

"Only if you're sure, and you're not going to be going all hostel locker guy on me again right?" She asked, making sure, but anyone could see the amused look in her eyes.

"Only if you're not going to go trying to break into any of my stuff anytime soon. Right?" He retorted back.

"Not on my life, scouts honor." She said mockingly holding up her two fingers together. He rolled his eyes and gestured towards the parking lot.

She chuckled slightly and shook her head climbing into the passenger side of the hearse.

That's not the reaction he was used to but shook it off. He wasn't sure if that was a good thing or a bad thing.

He got into the car and saw her looking around curiously. He was used to awkward glances, to the back, or people trying to hide their weireded out feelings. But Clare was just examining it all.

"So what do you think of good old Morty?" He asked, waving his hand in a gesturing motion in the air towards the back of Morty.

Clare wasn't as surprised as she should've been that he drove a hearse, it just seemed to fit him.

She just shrugged. "What is there to say? It's a car. Good job...?" She said awkwardly. He chuckled at her but shook his head and started the engine anyway.

He pulled out of the handicapped parking lot and made his way onto the street. Clare noticed that he was a really, really careful driver. He constantly checking his rearview mirrors and always had his eyes on the road, both hands on the wheel and the radio at a loud volume, but not so loud that you couldn't hear the car in front or behind him honking. Maybe he just liked to be... safe? She stupidly tried to reason with herself.

He noticed her eyeing him weirdly and he realized that he was looking at her instead of the road. He instantly tightened his grip on the steering wheel and faced the road, giving it an intense look.

Clare went to turn the radio station nonchalantly but Eli's cold voice stopped her. "Don't." He said harshly and she was kind of afraid of him.

She looked at him with uncertainty in her eyes. What was wrong with him?

"You know you can just drop me off right here, I know how to get home from here, don't want to be too much of a bother you know." She said awkwardly, even though they both knew she had no clue where she was or how to get to a home she'd never been to.

He sighed, realizing his mistake. Of course he'd freak her out. He pulled over, to the side of the road and put his hands in his face, sighing. He got jumpy when people were in his car, and he hasn't let anyone in it since Julia. This was the station she always played and he let her play it, even though it wasn't exactly his favorite, so when Clare went to change it his heart started to beat erratically.

He heard Clare sigh and then open the car door, and before he realized what he was doing he reached over and closed it.

"I'm sorry it's just, personal reasons. You can... um... change the station." He said and Clare sighed a breath of relief she knew all about personal problems.

"It's fine, really I didn't know I'm sorry." She said and settled back into her seat, leaving the station on what it was. Eli suddenly felt his heart calm down. Why was she so understanding?

He pulled back into driving and at a red light he stopped and pulled out a CD from the glove compartment. He put in the CD that he made a while back but never got the chance to listen to.

Clare smiled slightly as he nonchalantly put the CD in the CD player and it started a soft melody of the Fray, over my head (cable car). She started to sing along quietly and Eli smiled a little bit of a smile before pulling into her drive way four songs later.

"Thanks for the ride, and again. I'm sorry. I know what it's like to have personal problems that you don't want people in on. I'll see you tomorrow." She said, hopping out of the car before Eli could fully comprehend how amazing she was being about his craziness.

"Yea... I definitely know what it's like." He said five minutes too late as Clare was already in her house taking off her shoes and getting ready for the argument with her mom that was sure to happen.

"Clare, are you finally home?" Clare's mom called from what Clare assumedwas the kitchen. She came out with her robe on.

"Yea mom, I'm home. Why aren't you dressed? It's the middle of the day?" She asked, she was never one to wave her dirty laundry, in this case her sleeping with Jake's father.

"Because, this is my house I can do what I want. Now tell me, Clare. Why are you home so late?"

"I had no way to get home because getting off was more important then picking up your daughter from school and Adam's mom couldn't." She sighed and rolled her eyes as if Clare was the one being ridiculous.

"Well how did you get home then if you didn't know the way here?" She asked, smartly. As if she had one over on Clare.

"Thankfully a boy from my new hell of a school knew how to get here, because all I knew was the address to a place _I've never been. _Emphasis on I've never been!" Clare yelled in her face. They were really getting into it now.

"Don't you dare yell at me like that! I am your mother, Clare Edwards. You have no place to butt into my personal life and back talk to me no matter what!" Helen yelled back at her youngest daughter, wondering where she went wrong.

"Yea? Well I'm part of your personal life. I'm sorry if being my mom feels so boring and professional! Who you decided to _fuck_ in our house is my business, and if you want me to treat you like my mother then start acting like one!" Clare hollered back at her mom before running upstairs and randomly opening doors and slamming them in attempt to find her bedroom.

When Helen caught on to what she was doing she yelled out "Clare don't go into the door on the right of the-"

"WHAT THE HELL!" She heard her non swearing daughter yell from what was probably the door she told her not to open.

"Clare, I can explain..." She trailed off, as if she didn't think what she was doing was wrong. Clare looked in the room and slammed the door shut as soon as she had it opened.

Her married best friend's father was laying naked upstairs in her mothers bed. She ran down the stairs and out of the house after fighting off her mothers pleading and grabbing at her.

She wanted to call Adam, to have him aid her but she knew she couldn't because of what she just witnessed. Would Adam hate her?

Omar Torres lay upstairs naked in her moms bed.

"Oh my gosh..." She trailed off, truly letting the seriousness of the situation hit her. Her loving, caring, best friend's supposedly faithful father, Omar Torres lay naked, upstairs in her own home wrecker of a mother's bed.

She thought her dad was bad? But her dad never slept with any of her friends parents. Sure her dad cheated on her mom but this was just as bad. She went from being home wrecked to being the home wrecker.

Her mom was a whore. A common whore that was looked down upon. She'd known girls who slept around, but in all honesty, when you're younger it's more rational to sleep around with guys, or girls for that matter than to be of Helen's age. Helen was a turned whore. She slept with _married _men. She's ruining a family for her own sick pleasure. What the _hell _was wrong with her?

Clare sighed and rubbed her temples. She'd never so much as cussed before in her life and she'd done so three times already if you counted 'hell' and Clare did. She even dropped the F-bomb, which surprised her as much as it did her awful excuse of a mother.

She didn't have anyone who she could talk to about this. She had no one, so she did the one thing she'd never think she'd do.

She pulled out her cell phone and dialed the number she knew like the back of her head.

She put the phone up to her ear with shaky hands and waited for an answer.

"Hello?" The deep voice said.

"D-dad? It's Clare." She said, her voice breaking. Randal Edwards pushed aside the pile of papers on his desk he was working on and took off his glasses, sitting back in his chair. Another late night at the office.

"Clare honey? What's wrong? What do you need?" He was hurt and happy at the same time. He never thought he'd hear from her again, he was so pleased that she'd call him in a time of distress but at the same time he never wished his daughter the cards she was dealt in life. A father who couldn't keep it in his pants and an always angry mother. Her family was nothing like it used to be.

"Dad, I just," She paused trying to calm her breathing. "I need you right now." She finally spit out, looking up at the sky to blink back her tears that were trying to escape.

"Clare I'm on my way to pick you up. Where are you?" Randal pushed the desk so he could wheel his chair back and stood up, grabbing his jacket and brief case. He wasn't going to screw up this opportunity to fix things with Clare.

"I'm at mom's apartment. She's, she's, just come get me please." She whispered into the phone, she hoped that he couldn't sense the tears in her voice but of course he could.

"Don't worry, Clare. I'm on my way, calm down." He mumbled through the phone as he typed in the address into his car's GPS, not ever have actually been to he mom's house.

Clare nodded even though he couldn't see it and calmed down, before hanging up waiting for her dad. She had so many questions, so many to ask about what's happening and what she should do. What he did and why and they both knew this was going to be a long night.

Randal pulled up on the Curb and left his car running. He rolled down the window to tell Clare he was there but she was already pulling open the passenger side door.

The car ride to her old home was quiet and awkward they both felt it.

He parked the car into the side of the road and she opened the door as he pulled out his key to unlock to door. They sat in the living room facing each other.

"What's wrong Clare?" He asked, really wanting to know.

"Why did you do it?" She asked, ignoring his question. He sighed.

"Clare, what I did was stupid. I know, and the regret I feel is enormous but there's nothing I can do to change the past so we should just move on."

"Dad, if I asked you something would you be honest with me?"

"Yes." He said without a doubt. Knowing that if he didn't, he'd only push her farther away from him.

"Did you ever think of the families you were possibly ruining? Surely if it wasn't you it would've been someone else, but you were contributing in ripping multiple families apart. The girls you were sneaking around with, they had husbands, and they had kids. Their mom was whoring around with a married man. Did you ever think of them?... Did you ever... think of me?" She asked the last part quieter.

She needed these answers, she needed to know what he was thinking when he did what he did.

"Clare," He sighed, knowing he had to be honest.

"When I cheated on your mom, the only thing I felt was frustration. I knew I was doing something wrong and I guess that's why I liked it. My life was turning into something so repetitive and nothing ever changed. I had nothing too exciting going on and I guess it was a mid life crisis type thing. I know that's no excuse, and families? I always felt guilty afterwards, but I tried to push those thoughts to the back of my mind. I only ever felt guilty for you. I thought of how you'd take it if you found out, and that led me to thinking of their families, yes. I wanted to know what was happening to make them cheat on their spouse but I didn't dwell on it too much, honestly." He said, and sighed. Not knowing if he answered that right.

Clare appreciated that he was honest, even if the truth wasn't what she wanted to hear.

"Well, if I tell you something, can it stay between me and you?" She asked, hoping that he'd agree. He nodded reassuringly.

"Anything, you can tell me anything." She sighed and sat back into her seat, ready to tell her dad everything that she couldn't tell her mom, that she couldn't tell Adam, or Alli.

"It's just, everything!" She exclaimed.

"I didn't want to move schools period. At all. Then when I do, I realize it's nothing like Degrassi. I look forward to going home, and then when I do go home." She shuttered at the after school things.

"Do you know what she did?" He asked, referring to her mom. He shook his head indicating he in fact didn't.

"She called me while she was having sex to tell me that she couldn't pick me up from school, to find my own way home to a place that I've never been!" She was feeling her chest tighten as she got all of it off her chest.

"She doesn't even care about me anymore, and then I thought it was Jake's dad, for sure, but I got there and it was... It was my best friend's _married _dad. And I realized, she can't even be mad at you when she's just like those girls you were with. Just like them, just like you only she flaunted it in my face and even though I'm still upset about what you did, I'm not going to lie and say that my oblivious state was a good one. I loved not knowing what was going on behind closed doors more than I realized."

She said it all in one big breath and sighed rubbing her teary cheeks, wiping away the wetness. Her dad reached over and pulled his sobbing daughter into his chest, hugging her tightly whispering reassurance into her ear, and rubbing her back in a fatherly way.

Clare kept crying but they soon died down and she fell into her dad's embrace. Nothing mattered right now because she finally had someone who understood, someone she's been shunning for months on end, and she just wanted to sit and bask in the moment before she had to return to the world of Helen Edwards, and her late night conquests. Or her pathetic excuse for an education system of a school. Even her smirking, black wearing, hearse driving, angry locker guy named Eli she had to put with.

And she didn't even seem to mind that Eli wore black only, or that he was sadistic. He was sarcastic and a know it all. And that scared her most of all. Because she should care, she should care a hell of a lot.


End file.
